Abstract
The Zulu tribe originated in Central Africa, among a people that migrated into southeast Africa into the region that is currently known as Natal. This paper presents a history of this distinct tribe and examines various aspects of their culture, including language, social structure, lineage, religion, etc. The paper shows that following the disbandment of the apartheid system, the Zulus, as well as the rest of black South Africa, gained suffrage rights. Thus, while the Zulu are far from the height of their power, they have managed to regain the privileges and rights that are granted to everyone else in South Africa. As a people, the Zulu face the constant challenge of being a minority in South Africa, but are slowly gaining back what the colonial and apartheid systems stripped from them in the late 19th through the late twentieth centuries.

From the Paper
"Shaka's new military was not the only advantage that served him. His utter ruthlessness frightened many of his enemies into immediate surrender, and helped to suppress those he had already conquered. In one example of Shaka's ruthlessness, he attacked an enemy kraal, and "punished" his enemies. "Here," Roberts states, the punishment was more sadistic. The victims were made to wait until final judgment had been passed and then impaled, sitting upright, on sharpened poles, until Shaka relented and sent order to the slayers to end the death agonies of the victims by placing bundles of grass under them and firing them." Obviously, however, the system of brutality that Shaka instituted worked; Roberts states that "it is estimated that by the beginning of 1817- the year following Shaka's assumption of the chieftainship- Zulu territories were four times their original size.""

Tags:Shaka, Dingane, Dingiswayo, Cetshwayo

Abstract
This paper explores the circumstances surrounding Shaka Zulu's rise to power. It discusses the importance of age regiments to Shaka's success, as well has his skills as a leader. The paper gives a detailed account of the period between 1800 and Shaka's death in 1828.

From the Paper
"When confronted with the issue of great African military leaders, the name Shaka Zulu invariably springs to mind. His prowess in strategy and tactics has spawned comparisons with Napoleon. This man forged a kingdom composed of diverse peoples under one banner, thus creating one of the most famous indigenous African empires ever known. This paper will explore the circumstances surrounding Shaka's rise to power, his period of sovereignty, and finally his death."

Tags:amabutho, dingiswayo, inkatha, kwa, mthethwa, ndebele, ndwandwe, ngwane, pongola, sobhuza, south, zwide